A former Khamzat Chimaev opponent once explained how his ‘bully’ persona annoyed him prior to their fight.
After winning 14 fights as a professional MMA fighter, Chimaev finally has a date with destiny when he faces Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC middleweight title.
The UFC 319 main event between the pair is a fight of the year contender in the making, and Khamzat’s ‘crazy’ style in the Du Plessis clash is favoured by the experts to dethrone the champion.
One issue for the Chechen, which has been a concern for those predicting his victory, is his gas tank holding up when it goes the distance.
Khamzat Chimaev was a ‘bully’ I did not want to lose to, said former opponent two months ago
While he has worked on this specific issue in training camp with Arman Tsarukyan, many will still recall his closer fights over three rounds with Kamaru Usman and Brazilian Gilbert Burns, the latter of which had choice words about the MMA star.
Burns gave the 31-year-old his toughest opposition when he was able to subvert many of his takedowns to turn it into a stand-up slugfest, where he even outlanded the Russian in significant strikes.
Their 2022 fight is an example of how he can be taken to deep waters if the right game plan is implemented, but his motivation to beat him came on the night itself.
Speaking to the Pound 4 Pound podcast in May this year, he explained what compelled him to stick it on his opponent.
He said: “It was a war to get ready for this fight. Whenever we start fighting, I saw a bully. When you have the perception of a bully, he came in, and when I was walking, I saw the guy on top of the cage sitting down with Darren Till.
“I was looking at him, and I said, ‘Bro, there’s no way I’m going to lose to this guy’.
“That’s when it hit me… But when I saw that guy sitting on the cage, I remember looking like there’s no way I’m going to lose to this guy, bro.”
‘Durinho’ saw his relaxed attitude as a sign of disrespect, with him annoyed that the now UFC middleweight title challenger perceived him to be a ‘clown’.
Then, when he was caught flush with a right jab, something turned in his head to start laying on some punishment.
“Something just turned, and I was just in a war. I remember when I (was) knocked down, I tried to kick his head off. Then I tried to soccer kick him, and I remember when I missed. I was so mad that I missed,” he said.
“We kept fighting, and then I said I’m going to kill this guy third round. But that was a war. Little things that he did that make it so personal, that is like, okay, there’s no way I’m going to lose to this guy.”
Dricus Du Plessis responds to ‘big’ Khamzat Chimaev meeting in the hotel lobby
After the first meeting in a hotel lobby, between the main event, Burns’ ‘bully’ comments about Chimaev may be evergreen when you look at the difference in size.
Du Plessis has to cut down more than 45 lbs in weight before he hits the scales, but the height and size advantage from their first meeting may lie with Khamzat.
However, he has responded to the weight comments in a recent interview with Helen Yee.
He said: “I don’t give a s- – – how big he is. It’s not what wins fights, but yeah, I saw him.
“He’s not definitely not bigger than me.”
While he maintains he is not at a disadvantage, the real tell will be when both are in the Octagon after being able to rehydrate.
The ceremonial weigh-ins are scheduled to take place tonight, where fans will have more of an idea of the weight and potentially make a more informed prediction of the fight’s outcome.